Apple Crisp

This is so yummy!  Apple crisp is Joey's favorite thing, so I was determined to find a good recipe!  I altered this a bit and it is pretty awesome!

You Will Need~
~5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cut into 1 inch slices
~1/2 cup sugar
~1 tsp lemon juice
~1 tsp vanilla
~1 tsp cinnamon
~1 tsp nutmeg
~1/2 tsp salt

Topping
~1 stick butter
~1 cup light brown sugar
~1 cup all purpose flour
~1/3 cup oats

In a bowl, mix lemon juice, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and apples.   Melt butter over medium heat.  Remove from heat and add brown sugar.  Stir well and then add flour and oats.  Will be a dough when completed.   Spread evenly over apples in a nonstick baking dish.  Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

Spicy Macaroni & Cheese

I have been trying to find a really delicious, homeade mac and cheese recipe.  I was watching "The Best Thing I Have Ever Made" on the Food Network and saw Sunny Anderson make her spicy mac and cheese.  I have never watched something on The Food Network where I had to make it NOW.  I went to the store and got all ingredients and it was made a few hours later.  It's so easy and amazing. I can't stop eating it!  I didn't do the croutons on top, but I'm sure those would be amazing to add as well!

You will need~

• 2 cups elbow pasta, cooked until almost al dente
• 16 ounces Cheddar cheese, 1/2 cubed, 1/2 shredded
• 8 ounces Monterey pepper jack cheese, cubed
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 4 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 4 slices bread
• 1 tablespoon butter

                                              Cheese!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss together pasta with the cheese cubes and pour into the baking dish. In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, nutmeg and sour cream, egg, heavy cream and half-and-half. Pour over the pasta and cover with shredded Cheddar. Bake uncovered until top is just beginning to brown, about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the bread into crouton-sized squares. In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter, add cubes and toast until golden. Sprinkle the bread cubes on top of the macaroni and cheese and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more.


Finished!                                                           First bite!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/spicy-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe/index.html

Celebration Dinner!

The family came over last night and we had my homemade spaghetti!  It was delish and everyone was so excited about our new family member!  I don't really have a recipe for this one.  I literally just threw in 2 large cans of crushed tomatoes, 2 small cans of tomato sauce, sauteed some chopped onions, bell peppers and garlic and threw in a bunch of spices!  Spices were Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper, Tony's seasoning, cayenne pepper, basil and sugar (to cut down acidity of the tomatoes). I just kept adding spices until it tasted right. Of course garlic bread for a side.  

                               The perfect setting for a celebration!

Baby!!!!

This has absolutely nothing to do with cooking at all, but I had to put it on here...I'm an AUNT!!  My sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl last night.  Mary Ellen~weighing 6lbs 11oz.  Soo exciting!!!

1 Egg, 2 Yolks

My husband was making his usual egg and grits breakfast and he emailed me this picture.  He cracked open an egg and 2 yolks fell out. I have heard of this but never seen it before!  He says it means good luck.  So, this inspired me to google "egg yolk superstition"...here's what caught my interest...

"In many parts of Europe, farmers would take a fresh egg into the fields in the hopes that it would bring a good healthy crop. Eggs were also used to tell fortunes – two yolks would mean a marriage was coming up soon, a black spot on a yolk was a bad omen – and an egg with no yolk at all was just about as bad as you could get."

Pumpkins = Pumpkin Pie Time!!

Family Photo!(Our cat, Eddie is absent)

We went to the Pumpkin Patch yesterday and I am seriously excited about the Fall.  It's my favorite season.  I love Thanksgiving/Halloween and everything about Fall in general.  I love fall decorating too! 

Check out this adorable Halloween wreath I ordered!...

So back to food...  I made this pumpkin pie a few years ago.  It's a Paula Deen recipe and was quite tasty and I will be making it this year!!

You Will Need~

~1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

~2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed

~1 cup sugar

~1/4 teaspoon salt

~1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

~1 cup half-and-half

~1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter

~1 teaspoon vanilla extract

~1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

~1 piece pre-made pie dough

~Whipped cream, for topping

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare pie dough according to package instructions.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.
Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.

My homemade whipped cream..

~1 cup heavy whipping cream
~2 Tablespoons sugar
~1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat with mixer until fluffy.


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pumpkin-pie-recipe/index.html

My Go-To Appetizer

I have recently discovered how delicious pepper jelly is.  My new favorite appetizer is the classic cream cheese and pepper jelly.  So easy and you can make it look completely fancy.

You Will Need~

~1 package cream cheese
~1 jar Tabasco Spicy Pepper Jelly
~Your favorite crackers

All you have to do is get a plate and place cream cheese on it.  Then spread jelly on top of cream cheese and arrange crackers pretty.  It's that easy!